Super Negredo nods in to see nervous City past Hull

Super Negredo nods in to see nervous City past Hull

Alvaro Negredo came off the bench to score for the second successive game as ManchesterCity edged to a 2-0 win at home to promoted HullCity in the Premier League on Saturday.

With memories of last weekend's 3-2 defeat to another promoted outfit CardiffCity still fresh, City again looked edgy in defence and lacking inspiration in attack before Negredo found the net.

The Spaniard was brought on at halftime and 20 minutes later brought relief to the home fans inside the Etihad Stadium when he clinically headed home a Pablo Zabaleta cross from the right.

Yaya Toure added an undeserved gloss to the scoreline with a fantastic curling freekick from 20 metres in the 90th minute to give City six points from their opening three games, three more than Saturday's opponents.

Image: Manchester City's Alvaro Negredo (left) celebrates with teammates Jesus Navas and Pablo Zabaleta after scoring the opening goal of the Barclays Premier League match against Hull City at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester on SaturdayPhotographs: Chris Brunskill/Getty Images

Still creases to iron out for Pellegrini's side

City's performance, however, suggests there are still creases to iron out for Manuel Pellegrini's side.

The pre-match talk was about their ability to defend set-pieces with the form of keeper Joe Hart under the microscope.

City would have hoped that their defensive shortcomings, ruthlessly exposed by Cardiff last weekend, would have been alleviated by the return from injury of Matija Nastasic at centre back.

Yet the uncertainty at the heart of their back four, still shorn of injured captain Vincent Kompany's steadying influence, was exposed within seven minutes.

Sone Aluko needed the faintest of sidesteps to bypass Joleon Lescott, Kompany's stand-in, to open up an acre of space in front of him, but after bearing down on Hart, he scuffed his shot and it trickled past the post.

The visitors then had the ball in the net four minutes later, but it was ruled out for offside.

Image: Manchester City Sergio Aguero (centre) is challenged by Hull City's Maynor Figueroa (right) and Robbie Brady during their English Premier League match on SaturdayPhotographs: Chris Brunskill/Getty Images

Super-sub Negredo gives City much-needed inspiration

Danny Graham was allowed to loiter unattended, but had strayed marginally beyond City's defensive line when the ball was tossed into the box and his sliding finish counted for nothing.

Lescott had a header tipped over by Hull keeper Allan McGregor but apart from that the home team's play lacked adventure.

Negredo was brought on as a substitute for the third successive game at the interval and should have found the net two minutes later, but mis-timed a header and sent it well wide of goal.

With City looking clean-out of inspiration, the Spaniard made amends midway through the second half.

The former Sevilla striker showed the penalty area instincts that persuaded City to spend 20 million pounds ($30.94 million) in the close season, when he got on the end of a fantastic cross from Zabaleta and headed down into the net.

Image: Manchester City's Alvaro Negredo heads in to score the opening goal against Hull City on SaturdayPhotographs: Alex Livesey/Getty Images

Toure doubles score in the dying minutes of the game

The goal-glut that City fans may have expected to follow did not materialise and in the end it was more a question of whether the hosts would hold on than extend their fragile advantage until Toure finished the game off.

With a similar finish to his effort against Newcastle United in their opening match, he curled the ball into the top corner, leaving the keeper stranded.

City go second in the table behind Chelsea, who were in European Super Cup action on Friday.

Third placed Liverpool take on Manchester United at Anfield on Sunday and fourth placed Tottenham Hotspur travel to Arsenal in the North London derby.

Image: Manchester City's Yaya Toure celebrates after scoring the second goal against Hull City on SaturdayPhotographs: Phil Noble/Reuters